Playable Tribes: Ascend preview to debut at QuakeCon

Come August 4-7, FPS fans will descend in droves upon QuakeCon, a celebration of all things headshot-related in Dallas, Texas. And while FPSes have come a long way since those blocky days, one of the biggest headliners at this year's con is the reborn Tribes, a favorite with the FPS faithful since the days when you had to push you PC to run Quake instead of playing it in a browser. The new title, Tribes: Ascend (because jetpacks), will be playable for the first time at QuakeCon, and attendees can enter for a chance to go into the free-play game's closed beta.


Above: Proof that Tribes: Ascend has shooting (also important)

“QuakeCon has been called the Woodstock of Gaming,” enthuses Todd Harris, COO of Hi-Rez, developers of the new title (werather liked their previous title, the futuristic, jetpack-heavy Global Agenda). While the Con boasts less mud and (probably) less sex than Woodstock, the oft-repeated comparison speaks to the free-entry, famously good-natured tone of the convention, which Hi-Rez seeks to instill within their sequel. Just like Global Agenda (which was one of the first titles to bring free-to-play to Steam), Ascend won't cost a bean to get into; while playtesting is currently limited to a closed alpha, QuakeCon attendees will be able to register for a chance to win one of a limited number of spots on Tribes: Ascend's beta. We'll be at QuakeCon bringing you more news on the title as it's unveiled – are you looking forward to a shot at Tribes: Ascend?

Jul 13, 2011